here’s been some buzz lately about what the next step would be for billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer‘s group Next Generation. It hit the news last week
that he was shutting down the group’s climate policy research arm, with
speculation that he would shift resources to its political wing NextGen
Climate (NGC).

Now we know. Monday NGC announced its first big campaign of the 2016 presidential election season, dubbed “The Hot Seat.”

“If you’re in a position that is different from 97
percent of scientists, that does raise basic competency questions in
terms of whether people are going to want to give you the keys to the
White House,” said NextGen Climate’s chief strategist Chris Lehane
during a press call Monday.

The group describes the program as “a high-tech war
room that will track Koch brothers-backed presidential candidates, put
them in the Hot Seat for their science denial and support for policies
that only serve the best interests of the Kochs, and press them on their
plans to address climate change
for the next generation.” It’s referring to the Republican presidential
race as “The Koch Primaries,” tying the candidates to big-spending
fossil fuel-billionaires Charles and David Koch, who have vowed to drop
almost a billion dollars to put someone who serves their anti-climate
interests into the White House.

The campaign will include TV and radio ad buys,
billboards and social media, with college campuses and young voters a
particular priority.

“America is at an energy crossroads, and there is
nearly a billion dollars in money from the Koch brothers’ network
standing in the way of real solutions that will move our country
forward,” says NGC. “But there’s good news: Republican presidential
hopefuls’ willingness to deny basic science and put our country at risk
in their pursuit of the Kochs’ campaign cash is a serious liability with
voters.”

The San Francisco-based group will set up satellite
offices in DC and key presidential primary states to work on “making
climate denial into a liability with voters and force these candidates
to answer to the American people.” It’s been teasing the new campaign
with billboards, truck-drawn mobile billboards and a plane that flew
over the Iowa Agriculture Summit with a banner that said, “Jeb Bush: I’m
Not a Scientist.”

“From Iowa to New Hampshire, we’ll be ready to strike
when Republicans deny basic science and refuse to show meaningful
climate leadership for our country and our kids,” promises NGC. “NGC
will expose the nexus between the nearly one billion dollars the Koch
network plans to spend and the anti-science positions taken by
Republican presidential candidates.”

Lehane didn’t attach a specific dollar figure to
Steyer’s likely spending in the upcoming race, but said, “He has made it
clear he will spend what it takes. It still is a drop in the big oil
bucket compared to what the other side is spending. We’re up against the
most well-resourced special interests I think in the history of
democracy.

They will do whatever it takes to try to rig the system to
keep in place an approach that generates enormous amounts of money for
them regardless of its impact on our economic health, national security
and the impact on our kids.”

NGC’s research showed that among Iowa voters, the
Koch Brothers had a negative 16 favorability, and that 71 percent of
likely Iowa voters said they would be less inclined to support a
candidate bankrolled by the Kochs. They also found that among young
voters in four battleground states, likely to make up about a third of
2016 voters, only 9 percent had a favorable view of the Koch Brothers
and oil companies such as Koch Industries had a 15/58
favorable/unfavorable rating. Forty-one percent said climate denial
would disqualify a candidate, no matter what their other positions.

The first batch of climate deniers NGC is putting
on the Hot Seat include Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Kentucky Senator Rand
Paul (the two official candidates), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush,
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

Rand Paul announced his presidential bid in Louisville
today, and NGC stood outside the event with its “lie detector test” to
try to force him to reveal his positions on climate change. In the past he’s hedged and said
that he’s “not sure anybody knows exactly why” climate change occurs
and that the science behind it is “not conclusive.” He’s also said that
someone who would tie extreme weather events like hurricanes to climate
change is an “ignoramus.” Those statements undermine claims that Paul
could have wide appeal to younger voters.

“If Senator Paul thinks he’s going to be ‘Nirvana’ or
‘Pearl Jam’ for these young voters, what is his plan to address an issue
that is clearly one of their top concerns?” says NGC.

Of Bush, being pushed by supporters as the most
“electable” candidate, Lehane said, “He claims not to believe in the
science. I think it’s particularly interesting he is from a state that
will be particularly impacted by [climate change]. I think it is really
hard to run an electability campaign when you’re talking about the fact
you need to generate more support from young voters when you are taking a
position that is a defining issue for young voters—that is going to be a
signifier as to why they shouldn’t support him.”

The popular media narrative about NGC’s 2014 spending—primarily
Steyer’s and estimated at about $75 million—was that it didn’t yield
much in the way of results. However, three of its seven priority
candidates won, a decent record in what was a difficult election for
progressive candidates overall. And unlike much of the money coming from
the Koch Brothers, who have pledged to spend almost a billion dollars
to elect a fossil fuel-friendly president next year, Steyer’s money is
not “dark”—he’s been open about what he is spending and where.

So, why are the
Democratic candidates so cowardly and ignorant (or whatever) that Steyer
has to do this instead of them? Where are they? Hiding behind piles of
corruption money? Where was Obama his entire presidential term in facing
off with the Republican criminal climate deniers? It's not like they
don't have massive ammunition to throw at the climate deniers! The
Democrats deserve to lose for their cowardice, if nothing else. They may
have a better position on ACD, but you rarely hear about it. We need
Steyer's money behind a Third Party. Steyer could form and support the
inception of a powerful Peoples' Party so we can finally dump all these
inbred, sold-out, big mouths with no backbones (Democrats, Republicans,
dumdum dubya and dick the prick, Obama et. al). [By the way, this
article is the best news I've read in a long time. Suddenly, I have hope
for We The People. Thank God for Steyer.)

WONDERFUL news!!! Kudos to Tom Steyer and his group.Here are ten reasons we all should be very concerned about climate change: (Part one)1.
Science academies worldwide, 97% of climate scientists, and 99.9% of
peer-reviewed papers on the issue in respected scientific journals argue
that climate change is real, is largely caused by human activities, and
poses great threats to humanity.2. Every decade since the 1970s has
been warmer than the previous decade and all of the 16 warmest years
since temperature records were kept in 1880 have been since 1998. 2014
was the warmest year recorded and the last 330 months have all been
warmer than the long term average for corresponding months. This means,
for example, that July, 2014 was warmer than the average for all
previous Julys since 1880.3. Polar icecaps and glaciers worldwide have been melting rapidly, faster than scientific projections.4. There has been an increase in the number and severity of droughts, wildfires, storms, and floods. 5.
California has been subjected to so many severe climate events recently
that its governor, Jerry Brown, stated that, “Humanity is on a
collision course with nature.”

6.
Many climates experts believe that we are close to a tipping point when
climate change will spiral out of control, with disastrous
consequences, unless major positive changes soon occur.7. While
climate scientists believe that 350 parts per million (ppm) of
atmospheric CO2 is a threshold value for climate stability, the world
reached 400 ppm in 2014, and the amount is increasing by 2 - 3 ppm per
year.8. While climate scientists hope that temperature increases can
be limited to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), largely
because that is the best that can be hoped for with current trends and
momentum, the world is now on track for an average increase of 4 – 5
degrees Celsius, which would produce a world with almost unimaginably
negative climate events .9. The Pentagon and other military groups
believe that climate change will increase the potential for instability,
terrorism, and war by reducing access to food and clean water and by
causing tens of millions of desperate refuges fleeing from droughts,
wildfire, floods, storms, and other effects of climate change. 10.
The conservative group ConservAmerica (www.ConservAmerica.org), formerly
known as ‘Republicans for Environmental Protection,’ is very concerned
about climate change threats. They are working to end the denial about
climate threats and the urgency of working to avert them on the part of
the vast majority of Republicans, but so far with very limited success.

All Republicans
should be concerned about climate change, since if it's real (and I say
"if" chiefly to reflect GOP skepticism, not my own) it will pose a
direct threat to business interests far worse than that offered by mere
regulation.

I favor a Third Party entering the race with support from Tom Steyer, a partywith
no baggage. The Democrats have been the Wimp Wing of the Rethugnicons
for too long, and are irreversibly compromised and corrupted by money.
I'll call it The Survival Party, because that's what it will be. We are
today hell bent on extinction. Who will tell the children?

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